Hi,
I am a II level Passed CFA student and this is where I think I should put my experience with CFA. I want to be a torch bearer for my fellow students who have just started preparing for the exam. I will go step by step about the examination.
About CFA- CFAI is a USA based independent body who conduct this exam for awarding charter financial analyst designation. The Institute was started on the dreams of Benjamin graham the Investment Guru of all time. It’s a body formed to bring standardization in investment analyst industry and increase the practice standard of financial analyst.
Who is eligible- I will first elaborate from the Indian point of view, graduate of any stream is eligible for seating for the examination. Student appearing for last year examination are also eligible for the exam. But for awarding the charter one needs a full time work experience of 4 years in financial research related industry. Plus two recommendations are needed from CFA charter holders (one can be direct supervisor without charter).
These are the requirements from CFA for becoming a charter holder, But these requirement are decided in USA context where students start working as soon as they finish their high school or graduation. Seldom people there pursue post graduation studies immediately after graduation. Said this necessarily Indian students needs to think from different point of view. CFA ideally need to be done after one starts working with a financial company or at lease gains some experience of corporate working.
CFA as a exam is totally different from the what we as Indian are used to, CFA is totally inclined towards application rather than just theory (though one can pass all three exams by just memorizing everything) so I will definitely recommend appearing for exam either after 1 year of work experience, or complete level II exam till last year of MBA and finish last level exam once 2-3 years of experience is completed. But best way suggested is doing it after getting some work experience. It is more relevant that way.
Exam formats and Difficulty level.
First level of the exam is conducted twice a year in June and Dec, while 2nd and 3rd level are conducted only in June. In total passing rate for all three exams come around 7-8% per year, which is reducing every year. In that way the exam is way tough since many people appearing for the exam are experienced professionals in the industry. One has to pass all exams one after other as one of the criteria to get the charter.
Level I exam- This is a entry level exam which consists of 240 questions in total 120 in morning session and 120 in afternoon. 3 hours are given for each session to answer multiple (3 options) option questions based on all section of the syllabus. Exam encompasses introduction to investment management and has broad view compared to next level. Level I tries make base of student stronger by introducing them to various facets and options available with CFA.
Payment Options- Currently CFA gives only 3 options to the students 1. Either pay through international payment gateway using international credit card. 2. Pay by dollar bank draft at their office in New York. Or a wire transfer method where a candidate can ask a participatory bank to transfer amount to CFA.
Many Asian students face the problem of not owning a international credit card. These students can follow the steps below.
1. Register on the CFA website and create credential.
2. on the page for pay CFA fees institute will give option to generate invoice or pay fees by credit card.
Select option generate invoice and pay and print a invoice with candidate details.
3. Take the printout to the local bank and ask them to make a wire transfer for the amount of $ written on the invoice.
4. Once transfer is made collect the necessary transaction number and send a scan copy of invoice and the transaction number to CFA institute by email.
The above said procedure is tedious compared to simple Credit card method, but still helpful for those who does not have the credit cards.
I am a II level Passed CFA student and this is where I think I should put my experience with CFA. I want to be a torch bearer for my fellow students who have just started preparing for the exam. I will go step by step about the examination.
About CFA- CFAI is a USA based independent body who conduct this exam for awarding charter financial analyst designation. The Institute was started on the dreams of Benjamin graham the Investment Guru of all time. It’s a body formed to bring standardization in investment analyst industry and increase the practice standard of financial analyst.
Who is eligible- I will first elaborate from the Indian point of view, graduate of any stream is eligible for seating for the examination. Student appearing for last year examination are also eligible for the exam. But for awarding the charter one needs a full time work experience of 4 years in financial research related industry. Plus two recommendations are needed from CFA charter holders (one can be direct supervisor without charter).
These are the requirements from CFA for becoming a charter holder, But these requirement are decided in USA context where students start working as soon as they finish their high school or graduation. Seldom people there pursue post graduation studies immediately after graduation. Said this necessarily Indian students needs to think from different point of view. CFA ideally need to be done after one starts working with a financial company or at lease gains some experience of corporate working.
CFA as a exam is totally different from the what we as Indian are used to, CFA is totally inclined towards application rather than just theory (though one can pass all three exams by just memorizing everything) so I will definitely recommend appearing for exam either after 1 year of work experience, or complete level II exam till last year of MBA and finish last level exam once 2-3 years of experience is completed. But best way suggested is doing it after getting some work experience. It is more relevant that way.
Exam formats and Difficulty level.
First level of the exam is conducted twice a year in June and Dec, while 2nd and 3rd level are conducted only in June. In total passing rate for all three exams come around 7-8% per year, which is reducing every year. In that way the exam is way tough since many people appearing for the exam are experienced professionals in the industry. One has to pass all exams one after other as one of the criteria to get the charter.
Level I exam- This is a entry level exam which consists of 240 questions in total 120 in morning session and 120 in afternoon. 3 hours are given for each session to answer multiple (3 options) option questions based on all section of the syllabus. Exam encompasses introduction to investment management and has broad view compared to next level. Level I tries make base of student stronger by introducing them to various facets and options available with CFA.
Payment Options- Currently CFA gives only 3 options to the students 1. Either pay through international payment gateway using international credit card. 2. Pay by dollar bank draft at their office in New York. Or a wire transfer method where a candidate can ask a participatory bank to transfer amount to CFA.
Many Asian students face the problem of not owning a international credit card. These students can follow the steps below.
1. Register on the CFA website and create credential.
2. on the page for pay CFA fees institute will give option to generate invoice or pay fees by credit card.
Select option generate invoice and pay and print a invoice with candidate details.
3. Take the printout to the local bank and ask them to make a wire transfer for the amount of $ written on the invoice.
4. Once transfer is made collect the necessary transaction number and send a scan copy of invoice and the transaction number to CFA institute by email.
The above said procedure is tedious compared to simple Credit card method, but still helpful for those who does not have the credit cards.
